Strength in Numbers
by rrj2
Summary: Quick snippets in which characters in the show ruminate about other characters, in countdown format.
1. Stiles

**12**

Lydia, Malia, Allison, Derek, Isaac, Kira, Liam, Hayden, me. Maybe Mason? I don't think Scott ever counted the twins or Corey. I hope he never counted Theo.

That's eleven members of Scott's pack. We're scattered and Allison is gone, but Scott can count on us who are left when he needs us. Now there's the new guy, an insecure omega. He doesn't know where he belongs in all this. He doesn't know what he can do for the pack. I wish I could be around for him, because I actually know what that feels like. What was a human supposed to do about everything that was going on? Somehow, I made it because it's Scott and me.

Alec shouldn't feel pressured, but it's okay to be scared. He doesn't need to prove anything, but it's okay to be uncertain. Scott's become a better judge of character lately, kind of. Maybe. I think Alec just needs to be himself.

From Scott's oldest friend to his newest, welcome to the pack, number twelve. It's not going to be easy, but if you don't give up, you'll find your place. Lean on your packmates when it's hard. That's one of the reasons why we're there.


	2. Lydia

**11**

I'll probably never see you again, will I? It's been eleven months since you escaped, again, from Eichen House. I have a feeling it's permanent, this time. It's not a banshee feeling. It's a human feeling. Intuition.

You really tested our patience sometimes, but I wouldn't be able to do what I can do now if you hadn't taught me. Stiles called us screaming sisters.

I hope I see you again one day. I hope my intuition is wrong. I hope things will be better for you. It seems like being a banshee has been a curse for you, my grandmother, and Lenore. If I can make it a positive thing, you can, too. If you let me, if we ever meet again, I'd like to help you with that.


	3. Rafe

**10**

Noah referred to him as the big bad wolf. He's less big and less bad now, but Noah warned me never to forget that Peter Hale is a psycho who murdered a lot of people in cold blood. I got a chance to speak with him for ten minutes while Derek and Noah chatted about a case.

Melissa and Noah filled me in on everything supernatural they could. They told me what the boys had done, but it was those ten minutes with Peter that gave me some of the clearest insight about the boys.

"You know what Stiles and Scott have been through," Peter said, "but do you truly understand what they experienced?"

Peter was Scott's alpha and he seems to have a lot of admiration for Stiles. Somehow, the perspective of this psycho, this former adversary who once kidnapped Stiles and tried to kill Scott, told me what I needed to understand.

Scott and Stiles aren't petulant boys anymore. They're men. To Peter, they can be annoying men, but if the big bad wolf can speak so highly of their accomplishments, what kind of father would I be if I didn't understand just how proud I should be? If I want a real relationship with Scott, I need to treat them accordingly. For now, at least I can say I helped Scott with the hunter crisis and I helped Stiles with his admission. If I had known then what I know now, I probably would have barged into the FBI director's office and demanded he do everything he could do to get Stiles into the pre-FBI program, not that Stiles needed the help.

I need to call Scott. I've been trying to be a better father, but now it's time to amp it up. I'm grateful UC Davis isn't prohibitively far from me. If I want Scott back on my side, I'm going to need to get Stiles on my side, too. I need to reach out to both of them.


	4. Allison

**9**

Erica and Boyd have never been my friends and I never trusted them after they went after Lydia, but they didn't deserve nine arrows shot at them. I know that, now. I know they'll never forgive me. I would never expect that.

My dad will forgive me. I think Scott will, too.

They were right in front of me this entire time, and it was Gerard that I followed. I made my decision in grief and that was a mistake.

I don't know when I'll reach out to Scott. He said he can wait for me, and I'm starting to believe it. I need to avoid contacting him for a while, but I know if I ever need to talk to him, he'll answer. He might even come to France, even if I tell him not to.

For now, I need to focus on my dad, because that's one relationship that I know I can save. He lost his sister and then his wife. He's basically lost his father. He's grieving, too. He won't lose me. Getting away from California was a good idea. We used to be a normal family. That's not possible anymore, but we can still act like a normal daughter and father. I want to try for my dad. He deserves it.


	5. Malia

**8**

Eight years as a coyote. Eight years alone.

I don't know how my father coped. From what I hear, he didn't do it well.

I have a lot to catch up on. I missed out on eight years of school. I don't want to pick up from where I left off. I want to pick up where I'm supposed to be at my age.

I don't know how, but Lydia pulled off a miracle. Her mother probably had something to do with it. I'm in some of the same classes as the smartest girl in school. She's giving me her notes and offering me extra help. I can see why she's popular. I'm glad she's popular. Because of her, Stiles, and Scott, I'm part of a close pack. I'm not alone anymore.

I might get through this after all.


	6. Derek

**7**

For seven years, I thought she was dead. Peter and Cora are the only family I have left. That just makes my relationship with Cora so much more important to me.

There's a part of Peter that is disappointed that there's no Hale alpha anymore, but I'd be willing to give up a lot more than that for Cora. I only meant to heal her, but I think she's actually stronger now than she was before.

I should take her away. We should leave Beacon Hills for a while. It'll be good for us. Isaac will be okay without me. Scott will look after him.

Cora has a lot to tell me about her last seven years, and I have a lot to tell her about my last seven years. We'll have plenty of time to share.

South America would be a good idea. Cora used to talk a lot about the Amazon. It's time for her to see it. And I'm going to get to be there when she does.


	7. Isaac

**6**

It's been nearly a week since Derek left Beacon Hills with his sister. I heard that omegas don't do well on their own. I try to not let it bother me, but I can't help be anxious sometimes, especially when I think about what could be coming after Allison, Stiles, and Scott powered up the Nemeton.

I couldn't sleep so I just wandered around. That's when they surrounded me. I was too nervous to tell what these six people were. I don't think they were hunters. I'm pretty sure they were something supernatural, but I couldn't tell.

One of them called me an omega.

"Leave him alone," someone said.

It was Scott.

"He might be an omega, but he's under my protection."

"Who are you?"

"I'm the true alpha. As far as I'm concerned, he's a part of my pack." Scott's eyes shone bright red.

They stepped back.

"The rumor's true," I heard one of them whisper.

They all just took off, no looking back. I think I heard one of them apologizing, but don't know to whom.

"Come on," Scott said, ushering me away. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

Derek's gone. Erica is dead. Boyd is dead. My dad is dead. Despite all this, I think I'll be okay. Scott's here with me. I'm going to be okay, at least until Scott finds out how I feel about Allison.


	8. Melissa

**5**

I had to turn away. I had to detach myself from this moment because I needed a few seconds. I'm giving myself to the count of five.

1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 4 . . . 5 . . .

Noah and I looked at each other. He sees the pain on my face. He knows how much I love Stiles. I know he and Scott consider each other brothers. They mean so much to each other, so Stiles means so much to me.

My pain isn't important. I need to go into nurse mode. I need to go into friend mode, because I can't imagine what Noah must be feeling. I see what he's going through, what he's been through, and I can only offer words. I know the words don't help Noah, but I hope he understands that he won't be going through this alone. He doesn't need to be strong, because Scott and I will be strong for him and Stiles.

Oh, wonderful; more problems with the building. Noah doesn't need this right now.

And he definitely doesn't need Stiles disappearing. Where's Scott?


	9. Kira

**4**

I didn't think it would ever take four hours to play a game of Go, but I'm glad it did. I think mom feels the same way. I know she could've beaten me quickly, but she understands that I needed this.

After what happened with Stiles and Allison, this game had a negative connotation. I didn't want it to, but every time I thought about the game, I thought about Stiles possessed and Allison dead. I thought about Aiden dead.

Now, when I think about Go, I'm going to think less about the Nogitsune and more about this four-hour game. I'm going to think about this time with my mother. It wasn't just a game. She was teaching me about the nuances of the game. She was teaching me strategy. She was giving me an experience that would overshadow in my memory what my friends just went through. She knew what she was doing. She always knows.


	10. Liam

**3**

I don't think being a werewolf is supposed to be this tough. I don't think they get bitten while running for their lives. I don't think they get kidnapped, lured into a trap, restrained, and chased around, all by the alpha who created them. Then again, what do I know?

I also don't think they get a bounty of three million dollars placed on their heads or get kidnapped by a psychotic orphan. If I had three million dollars, I'd get as far away from here as I could. That much money might convince Mason and my parents to come with me.

I see the way Scott's pack looks at him. They trust him. Does Scott expect me to trust him? Should I trust him?

Stiles made an offhand comment that technically, Scott's first beta was the vessel for an evil fox spirit that dissolved into nothing right after Kira stabbed him. I don't know if this makes me feel better or worse.

The pack made it this far. Their names are on the list, too. I can at least trust Scott to try to stop this dead pool, at least for his friends. I'll see what happens afterward. Maybe Scott deserves another chance with me, like I'm getting at this school.


	11. Jordan

**2**

"Parrish! Sutton Hall is on fire and there are people trapped inside. Go see what you can do!"

Sheriff Stilinski went back to his phone conversation, presumably with the fire department or someone at the scene of the fire while I gathered my things and sprinted out.

It's been a couple months since the hunters lost and the sheriff took the station back. Things have gotten somewhat back to normal. I think my fellow deputies, on some level, appreciate having a co-worker who's willing to jump in front of a bullet when they aren't. It's an easy decision for me because I know I'll come back from it.

I finally arrived at Sutton Hall. The sheriff told the firefighters there to expect me and to let me do my thing, whatever it is.

"How many people are left?" I asked.

"There are two unaccounted for."

I dashed into the building.

I'm impervious to fire, but that doesn't mean I can see through walls of flame. It took me a few minutes to find a little girl. On my way out with her, I finally spot the second child. I have no problem carrying both out to safety.

I watched as the firefighters unleash everything they could, just as Sheriff Stilinski pulled up. I saved two kids. I feel good about it. It would've been easier if I could control fire, though, instead of just creating it.

" _That's not possible_ ," a voice told me inside my head.

" _You're the hellhound possessing me, aren't you?_ "

" _It's time we spoke. It's time we worked together, so we can reach my potential._ "

" _Okay. Let's do this."_

Well, this is different. I think it'll be better. Did you hear that? You're going to have to give me some privacy regularly.

No answer. Maybe the silence is the answer. I think I can get used to this. It'll be good to be able to communicate with the hellhound. I can't help but wonder, though, if he can leave me. I wouldn't want that. I think I'm going to like this new phase in our duo, but I wonder what someone like Scott could do with that power. I wonder what would happen if the sheriff temporarily hosted the hellhound.


	12. Peter

**1**

It didn't surprise me that he managed to track me down. It did surprise me that it was 1:00 in the morning when he showed up at my door, until I remembered that Stiles isn't someone who cares about getting enough sleep on school nights, particularly now that he's graduated.

He came to thank me for my part in saving Beacon Hills and to check up on me. Someone must have told him how badly burned I was when I returned here. We ended up talking for several hours. It was during this conversation that I realized something I'd known for a while, but never bothered to acknowledge: This skinny little spaz deserved a lot more respect than people gave him, especially me. What he has gone through would make some of the toughest werewolves I've known break, and there he was, still standing as a teenage human. Well, sitting, almost. He was having trouble staying awake. I carried him from the chair to the couch and told him to just spend the rest of the night here.

I watched him sleep for a while. I can't imagine what he could accomplish if he was a werewolf. We're finally on the same side now, and he's someone I'd want in my pack. When I get alpha powers again, he's the first person I'll want to bite, and I don't think I'll give him a choice this time.

* * *

Thanks a lot to **Sagittarius97** for favoriting and following this story!


	13. Scott

**0**

Kate and Gerard are gone. Monroe is gone. There are no more hunters, no more threats to Beacon Hills. We finally have some peace.

It's about time, too. I get to spend my last week in Beacon Hills relaxing. I don't know who pulled the strings so I could defer enrollment a year and I don't know how that person did it, but it happened.

There's no reason to stay, anymore. My friends and my family are really happy that I'm finally starting the next part of my life. Did I just lump Chris Argent in with my family? He's close enough, I guess. I know this thing between him and my mom will work out. I never thought someone like him would become like a second father to me. Actually, that's not true. I definitely thought that about Chris himself when I was high on Allison sometimes.

He'll be here to watch over Beacon Hills, along with Jordan, Stiles' dad, Doctor Deaton, and the Hales. It's time for regression towards the mean to kick in and for Beacon Hills to avoid supernatural drama for a while.

I'm ready.

Beacon Hills is ready.

UC Davis is ready.

Let's go.


End file.
